


I Knew You Were Trouble

by sieka



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Bodyguard AU, F/F, everyone is human, other pairings are TBA
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-06
Updated: 2015-01-06
Packaged: 2018-03-06 08:45:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3128348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sieka/pseuds/sieka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s odd and fairly disgruntling that she’s sensing a very brutal troublesome aura in the binder she’s holding onto, maybe she could turn around and back down on this, they could always pick a new person to take the position—but the cost will be her pride.</p><p>Or to simplify, Bodyguard AU with Laura as the bodyguard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Assignment Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been having this idea for awhile now, not sure if this'll be a good idea but here's to hoping you guys will enjoy it. The title of the whole story is from Taylor Swift's song, "I Knew You Were Trouble", for good reasons but mainly because I was listening to it while I was writing this.
> 
> This is the Prologue, btw. I don't have a beta so I apologize if there are mistakes down ahead.

 

There’s an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach as she clutched the twenty page worth of information on her new assignment in her arm, she hasn’t read the contents inside yet after having been dismissed by her superior when the meeting adjourned thirty minutes ago. It’s odd and fairly disgruntling that she’s sensing a very brutal troublesome aura in the binder she’s holding onto, maybe she could turn around and back down on this, they could always pick a new person to take the position—but the cost will be her pride.

“I can’t really back down now, can I?” The taupe haired officer sighed, pulling the binder close to her chest, eyes dropping down to look warily at it as if it would suddenly take a bite of her just like what the book Harry Potter opened almost did to him.

The taupe officer ran a finger down the binder’s spine, flipping it open cautiously as she reads the bolded words summarized in a straightforward manner, stating her new assignment right. She forced a groan down, knowing that this would be the epitome of major headaches and a great way to an exhausting start for a new year.

“This will be a pretty long night…” She groans, shaking her head as she proceeds to walk back to the parking lot. She better start her way back home and read this book or for the love of her, she’d be stuck on this until tomorrow morning.

 

* * *

  

It’s morning when an insistent rap on the door woke her up from her sleep. A quick look to the digital clock positioned near her bed indicated the time, 11:45AM, and the only thing she could do is groan loudly, head thumping when it touched the surface of her wooden desk as the door to her room opens with a creak.

“Hey L, need some help waking up?” A grinning short haired ginger called from the door, peeking inside to look at the small figure of their friend letting out another groan before they walked in, poking insistently on the smaller woman.

“Stop it Laf…”

“I will, just get up before Perrbear panics and decides to call 911 because you haven’t left your room. You know how she gets, Laura.” LaFontaine jokingly shrugs, messing with the short taupe’s hair, laughing when they heard the other woman let out a huff before sitting up properly and glaring at the files on her desk.

“Fine, I’m up…” Laura crosses her arms, still looking tired and a bit grumpy but otherwise awake yet still slightly out of her element. LaFontaine peeks over their tiny friend’s shoulder to look at the files over her desk and whistles.

“Tough assignment, as expected of Danny.” They ran a hand through their hair, somehow thinking that this may or may not be the tall ginger’s way of getting revenge for the break up from last month and that, definitely isn’t a very consoling to say but it is the truth nonetheless that Laura begrudgingly agrees on.

“I’m not exactly looking forward to this.”

“Cheer up, L. You’ll do fine,” LaFontaine pats Laura’s shoulder comfortingly, “You’ve done a lot of major assignments before so this’ll be easy.”

“This isn’t the same as sneaking into a warehouse full of armed troops to do a rescue operation, Laf! I don’t think keeping an eye on anyone, especially _her,_ would be easy.”

Laura turns her chair to face the ginger, prompting LaFontaine to take their hand back and put them in their jean’s pocket. The tired look on the tiny taupe did told them that it would be rough on their friend, hell even they knew that they wouldn’t want to put up with the trouble of guarding someone like _her—_ scratch it, especially _her_ of all people.

They knew that Laura and _that girl_ never got along well, what with a full year’s worth of spending time with her in the very few classes they all had together during high school. It was miserable times, if they were to be honest. It really was.

“I’m not exactly excited, just so you know I’m also wary about this particular assignment you’re placed in. But better we try to make light of it than get ourselves worked up.”

“I guess so, but I’m not entirely going to act optimistic that this is the best arrangement! Hell, I don’t even know what Danny thought of when she gave me this!” The tiny taupe gestured harshly to the papers as she paced around after shooting out of her sit in the middle of her sentence.

There isn’t anything that she could do about repairing this situation, she knew painfully so, because she knows enough that if she went back to the station and asked her superior, Danny _-fucking-_ Lawrence, to back down. The tall amazon-like ginger would very likely take pleasure in it. Laura’s very sure of it.

But what makes this particular assignment angering is that this may be Danny’s way of getting back on Laura for breaking up with her, even though it wasn’t _entirely_ Laura’s fault to begin with. Danny was suffocating her in their relationship back then, _heck_ , even up until now she still does in any way she could to make Laura feel that she’s still in Danny’s grasp.

It reminds her so much about her father with extreme bad traits of overprotectiveness and a firm grasp on wanting to take decisions on how to control her life, but even Eric Hollis is a father who still prioritized Laura’s happiness just as much as her safety that even he wouldn’t go as far as Danny does to make her life _that_ hard.

“I guess she’s _still_ as sour as a pickle and sour plum combined in vinegar sauce…” LaFontaine supplies not so helpfully but in a way it does make Laura imagine the tall Amazonian superior in a jar filled with pickle and sour plum, being all sour and bitter about their break up. It makes sense that she’d be more sour then those two, especially with the way she often tries to send a not so hidden look of irritation and bitterness every time she sees Laura in the hallway or whenever they have a meeting with all the other officers.

Still, it doesn’t really help that she is very much so stuck with this assignment and it’ll cost more trouble and a few boxes of Paracetamol from her.

“Yeah, she’s a **really** bad appetizer to start my day,” Laura drily says as she stops pacing around and slumps on her bed in defeat, knowing that she’ll have to start getting ready soon because she needs to meet her charge later on and not even LaFontaine cheering her up with funny jokes and nerdy interesting facts and Perry’s delicious cooked meals and brownies could bring sun shines to light up her day.

It did work enough to make Laura girl the hell up and get into her car, binder in hand, dressed and prepared to face her charge-from-hell-and-beyond.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not so particularly used to using AO3 so I'm trying to adjust using this site for my fics, I am still confused how it works, I hope I get through this. I can't really access Tumblr for some reason to post it there, I've been having a hard time accessing Tumblr, so I don't know what's happening in the Carmilla fandom right now.


	2. Knocking on Hell's Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Laura finally meets her charge and is very much aware that she's doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 of the Bodyguard AU.
> 
> I'm still without a beta and this definitely has a lot of mistakes in it. I am truly sorry for that.
> 
> EDIT: I re-edited this chapter the moment I saw a lot of my mistakes. Like my sudden switch to 2nd POV, I'm sorry about that I got used to it. I've corrected all the other mistakes, but there's definitely more around so I'm very very sorry for that.

 

Its 2:30PM when, finally after thirty minutes of being stuck in traffic, she gets to park her car near the station for the very reason that there had been an emergency meeting announced late through text.

The taupe officer sighs, running a hand through long thick hair in a mix of taupe, brown and blonde. She’s a bit worn out and still very much wanting to back down on this particular assignment because seriously? This is definitely a bad idea, Laura knows for sure.

She couldn’t really see this job ending with well without getting frustrated enough to leave and probably, though drastic on her own part, resign on the spot. Laura can definitely picture a scenario of her handing her resignation letter written in ten thousand letters, back-to-back about why.

Yes, she might be a bit over exaggerating her apparent displeasure about who the hell her charge is, but who is she to blame when she’s to keep an eye and protect a Karnstein, and not just any other Karnstein, but _the_ Carmilla Karnstein from her high school days whom she never got along with.

Even hell knows why they never liked each other because Carmilla always find ways to make her mad and she never even cares to apologize for the wrong she does, which likely rubs wrongly on Laura. She may have pride for her patience but she can never be patient enough if it involves Carmilla, especially when she doesn’t even know why the brunette’s was treating her unfairly and rudely enough to spite Laura by pulling several tricks on her during high school.

She would have given Carmilla the benefit of doubt, of a second chance but sadly, Carmilla didn’t need it when she pulled her strings of connection and asked some of the Zetas to dump salt water on her near the end of their last school year.

It never left her memory of how bitter, and salty (because salt water and all) she felt on that very day and coupled a bit with relief because she thought that maybe that would be the _last time_ she would get to see ‘ _that infuriating girl in all black’_. She had successfully passed years without seeing her and it was a God’s sent gift because it made her one year of university experience bearable without her before she decided to enter training for the force instead.

Sadly those days are over now because her life is again to be graced with the presence of a she-devil, or rather—bound to be in the presence of a she-devil because she’s working for the government and she’s a part of the Styria Special Combat and Defence Task Force, a team built of talented young officers to serve as back-up reinforcements when there are shortages on personnel and other more reasons in between that Laura doesn’t want to even memorize. Though in actuality, being placed in SSCaDTF is partly because her father pulled a few strings to ensure that she doesn’t get into _too much_ action.

Laura herself is pretty much qualified to be in any other team, but honestly, her father placed her in the reserves thinking she won’t need to get herself in deep trouble which was a complete waste of ability, in Laura’s own opinion. She has the talent, skill, and perseverance to be one of the best officers—though her father thinks that she should have chosen a different course, a different career path than something as dangerous as this.

However, just as usual, his plan failed because Danny’s in-charge of this special reserve troupe she’s in and that her ex-girlfriend also has a mean streak for _hardcore_ assignments and missions that if any of them team officers were to tell each other to break a leg, it would actually be literal. You can never get back from any of Danny’s assignments unscathed.

Everyone in the troupe knew that very well, she has experienced it just as much as LaFontaine had. Perry has never experienced it though seeing as how she is in-charge of their armaments and equipment, plus she sometimes goes by as a sniper during some of their nastiest assignments.

Although not all assignment were _that_ bad, if you count getting back alive with a few cuts, a broken arm and shoulder has an affirmation to be counted in that category. So anyone can probably picture that _yes_ , the Styria Special Combat and Defence Task Force (SSCaDTF) became widely known as a hardcore team composed of special officers designated to pulverize and finish hard tasks due to Danny taking in-charge of all their tasks.

So really, never had paperwork sound so marvellous at this moment, if only her father hadn’t retired yet, he could probably pull her out of this, but nope, _nada_. She’s stuck here and maybe it’s all because Danny’s still bitter about their break up and she wants to get revenge on Laura by making her put up with being Carmilla’s bodyguard.

What a wonderful year indeed.

Sighing again, Laura gives herself a few more pep talks before taking the binder with her as she locks the car and leaves the parking lot, pocketing her car keys.

She already wasted time just sitting in her car to think about Carmilla, Danny and this disaster of an assignment that she’s a part of that it’s already 3PM. Danny definitely won’t be happy about her coming in late before their general officer meeting but she’s not about to give Danny the chance to even think she has one-upped Laura.

So, instead of walking fast to the meeting room, Laura opted to walk in moderate speed.

By the time Laura’s at front of the door, the time is already 3:15PM and to say being late for today is disaster is a terrible understatement.

 

* * *

 

There’s a rampant tapping on the floor, angry and loud, but the short taupe officer couldn’t take off her eyes from her feet to look at her superior. She’s also angry too.

Being left alone in her tall superior’s office also didn’t help her apparent irritation either as well as being lectured for her tardiness to boot with.

Laura wants to protest that it isn’t her fault that she had to use the whole night to read the files given to her, yet she chose to keep her mouth closed lest she wants Mount Danny to explode on her and start an argument with her ex-girlfriend-slash-also-superior about the topic of being early and an officer’s readiness to respond to a superior’s orders (even if it’s sent through text and not directly face-to-face).

“You should have been here earlier, you know that, Hollis.” The tall ginger said angrily, glaring directly at the shorter woman in front of her. She might love Laura and all but she would never allow this to get past her.

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.” Laura mumbles under her breath, unapologetic at all but Danny dismisses it with a tired sigh.

“You better not be anymore. You can’t afford to be late because of this assignment.” The ginger informs her in her standard superior tone, knowing very well that she should keep everything professional instead of wanting to inquire why the tiny taupe officer is causing her trouble right now, of all times too.

And much to Laura’s chagrin, Danny wastes no time and goes straight for the agenda of the day, increasing Laura’s displeasure. She really isn’t looking forward to this.

“I’m sure you’ve read the files I gave you last night, right?” The taller of the two waved at the binder in front of the desk, almost looking expectantly at the taupe officer.

“If wanted an accurate reason why I’m late, it’s because of those files that I had to stay up the whole night.”

“Good. Then you’re very aware that the person you’ll be guarding is very important…” She hid a smile with her hand, hearing dedicated answer of her officer. Although Danny did want to frown at Laura’s habit of putting an all-nighter just to get everything done. That kind of habit of hers needs to go because in all honesty, it never did seem a good especially for her health.

Then again, she couldn’t control her ex-girlfriend there because it’s hard to make her stop, just as much as she still has an odd diet of sugary sweets and soda up to this very moment. Some things never really changed even when they aren’t together it seems, some old habits remained. They just fell far apart from one another, which Danny still mourns for up until today.

Nodding more to herself than the affirmative _‘yes’_ Laura gives her while she dismissed her thoughts about her relationship with the shorter woman, Danny scans through her the files for a particular page before eyeing the taupe officer again.

“Alright, state the charge’s information, Hollis. Let’s see if you have the basics down.”

Danny leans forward, chin propped on the back of her hands looking as if she wants to challenge the officer in front of her with the way she’s staring intently at Laura, testing the taupe for any signs of hesitation in her form and eyes. And she finds none, as usual because she’s is sure that even though as much as the tiny officer has declared herself a Hufflepuff, she’s also a huge Gryffindor at heart. Laura has a combination of both unwavering loyalty and unshakeable bravery that a person needs more than ever for this assignment. There’s no one else Danny could dare give the position to but Laura, not like she really has a choice either.

“Carmilla Karnstein, the President and CEO of the Silas Enterprise and an important partner to the government due to the production of weaponries and equipment provided to us…” Laura recounts, although there certainly is definitely more information than just that on Carmilla and the whole enterprise she owns in the palm of her hands, she didn’t think Danny would go easy on her by providing the next few bits of information herself.

“—Though the products they produce pretty much includes all sorts of things because of how big Silas goes,” Danny hums in amazement as she rechecks the information again while trailing off with an awed tone in her voice, “I’m actually surprised that she can handle it and still keep it in top shape, seeing as how Silas is too large to manage by only one person because of how large and powerful it is.”

“But, well…that’s exactly the reason why we’re given this assignment for.” Laura’s superior shrugs dismissively as if it’s the most natural thing to occur because it really is. If you had too much power and money in your hands you would become a moving target to people who would want to use and kill you, which is why it goes hand-in-hand that they get security for reasons, and some help from the government as well.

“As what’s stated in the files, you are tasked to be _the main bodyguard_ and be beside Karnstein, everywhere, at any time and at all cost under this assignment.”

“The others will be with you in this mission, but they are more likely to just be a layered protection around Karnstein, as close but hidden as possible.”

“But Captain, why did it specifically state that only _one person_ would guard beside her? Isn’t it more plausible to have many people guard her in close proximity than just one?” Laura raises an eyebrow, asking challengingly because she really didn’t like this rule in the assignment. It feels more like they want her to suffer in Carmilla’s presence _alone_. It gave her enough thought to reinforce the fact that this is her superior, Danny’s way, of really getting at back at her.

“Apparently Karnstein only wanted one person around her. The superiors said that she didn’t like people crowding on her so we took it to consideration, but we’re still pretty much required to have a lot of personnel around the vicinity and near her to keep on a lookout…” Danny says, she herself has an eyebrow raised as this one rule in this particular assignment is something she didn’t approve of, but the way she reacted told Laura differently of it.

“Seriously? Is this your way of getting back at me?”

“Excuse me but _what?_ ” The young captain of the special force stares at her subordinate, eyes wide with an _‘Are you serious?’_ expression.

“You do know for a fact that Carmilla and I don’t get along. I’ve told you that before but you still placed _me_ in this position, which basically requires _me_ to be _beside her_.”

“Hollis, seriously, stop whining around because this is serious!” Danny barks, angry that Laura would even dare think that she’d let her ex-girlfriend near Carmilla. She didn’t even liked her, Carmilla’s bad news, but she’d rather not say anything more because Danny knew that once Laura’s convinced of something she’ll never back down on her belief until she had proof, and Danny has no proof to convince Laura.

“I’m not whining! I’ll do my job if that’s what _you order_ , but I won’t give you the satisfaction of whatever kicks you want to get from my being in this assignment of yours.”

All of that theory she and LaFontaine may have had is easily dismissed and thrown out of the window by the look of pure irritation and anger dangerously flashing in the ginger’s blue eyes, giving it a sharper and colder look when she heard Laura’s comeback.

It’s definitely the last straw.

As Danny spoke with power and intensity, it somewhat erased any other thoughts Laura might have on revenge because she knows when she has to back down. Plus, she really didn’t want to keep pushing the topic when she has a special force superior like Danny Lawrence.

“I don’t know what made you assume that!”

“I just honestly placed you in the team because you are capable enough for this and you’ve trained for it! You have the ability and skills for the job. You didn’t just land your position here because of your father!” Danny gestured at her office, the office of the Styria Special Combat and Defence Task Force as a whole while pointedly staring down at her officer as she stood up, leaning forward as she dangerously loomed over Laura.

Oh if only Danny knew that part of the reason why she’s here in the first place was because her father wanted her to be a useless reserve. If only, not that she’s going to tell her that.

Silence slowly drafted around them as the two stared at each other, one searching for any protest and the other defensive in case of anything bad occurring, only for the amazon-like captain to stand up properly and walk around her chair to stare at the window outside.

“Meet up with the others in that building address written on the blue sticky note. I’m sure you’ll find it easily.” The force captain’s tone is imploring and definite that it gave Laura no room for argument but to follow.

It’s an ultimatum, an order.

Laura leaves immediately after taking the sticky note from the file folder it stuck on. The taupe officer didn’t even bother to look over her shoulders to catch a glimpse of Danny shaking her head, shoulders slumping as she clutched onto the windowsill.

 

* * *

 

The drive to the designated building addressed on the note didn’t take very long, and neither was it hard to find because it stood tall, proud and simply huge in the heart of the city—a very impressive and intimidating building that makes Laura want to ask herself again why she ever bothered leaving her shared apartment with LaFontaine and Perry for this. She should have called in sick instead.

“Well, no turning back, I guess…” Laura sighs for what could be her umpteenth possibly, not that she keeps count. She closes her car door and locks it before taking quick strides, looking around for anyone familiar or any security guard from the building she could ask until someone loudly calls her out.

“Hey little nerd hottie, glad you could join us here!”

Laura turns to see her co-officer, Kirsch, happily waving at her while he runs to where she is, a smile forms immediately on her face.

“Kirsch! So you were also assigned in this?”

“Yup! Tall hottie wanted me in on this and I think its hella neat!” He laughs as he looks at the building looming over them with an excited grin, Laura would have love to share his enthusiasm but really— _she can’t_.

“Well, it is nice and all but the fact that this building is huge means we need to cover up more floors and tighten the security…”

“Troublesome and all, but I think we’ll handle it. Everything will be fine!” Kirsch pumps his fist in the air like the overly enthusiastic guy he is, he never fails to make everyone smile even when he comes off as super silly.

“I hope so.” Laura tries to smile optimistically even if she is failing on maintaining the twitching of the corner of her lips. Kirsch doesn’t notice anyways because he’s already hot fast on another new topic.

“By the way, they’re looking for the main bodyguard. They’ve been asking us to have the dude up to the boss’s den immediately. No one knows who it is though…” He points at the guards in black suits with red arm bands—a mixture of men and women—also walking around the perimeter as if searching for someone.

“ _Oh holy crap…_ I’m in big trouble, aren’t I? _”_ A hand meets Laura’s face as she moans woefully, knowing that she may be in for big deep trouble.

“I’m guessing it’s you then? Better head up fast, dude. They said the big boss is waiting up at the 75th floor.” Kirsch smiles sympathetically at his co-officer, giving Laura a pat on the back for support and comfort, he hopes anyways. Laura is a total bro-tastic person to him and he’d hate to see his friend depart in fear.

 _‘Better a smile than a frown on a day gone worse’_ is his motto after all.

It makes him happy like an excited puppy when Laura turns to him and nods, smiling a bit, erasing the earlier grimace in her face as she runs off ahead of him, waving goodbye to him.

“Thanks Kirsch, I’ll see you later!”

“Good luck little nerd hottie!” He grins, shouting back at her as he watch Laura’s figure grew smaller from the distance before he goes back to doing his rounds.

Maybe later he could organize a small get together with the whole team for celebration on their first day on their new assignment.

 

* * *

 

“This it, this is the 75th floor…” Laura mumbles to herself as she steps out of the elevator after a _very_ long ride up which she frankly didn’t really like because of the effects of the elevator’s ascend made her feel.

“I swear why the hell did they make a building _this_ tall?”

“…And it’s extremely huge and easy to get lost in.”

Laura narrows her eyes at the spacious floor flourished with nothing but expensive paintings, some indoor plants and carpeted, there were doors around and some intersections that she doesn’t know where they led too. She doesn’t want to chance getting lost and by extension, be later than she already is.

She tries asking a security guard nearby and got pointed in a direction Laura thinks got her lost in the process because she’s deep within the floor and far away from the elevator and she doesn’t know where she is now. The only thing she sees is doors which were labelled for meetings and restrooms.

Oh the joys. She feels like a child lost in a big mall.

“I can’t even find which way is the right room. I swear I think that guy gave me the wrong direction!” Laura huffs angrily, looking around as she walks in farther, turning around a corner before stopping to a halt as she encounters three doors towards a different path.

“I really think I’m lost…this definitely isn’t a video game where I can load from my save point.” Laura groans alone to herself—or she thought so.

“That, I think you are and I agree wholly on your RPG reference. To be honest, you’d definitely qualify for a lost child than a warrior or something though…” A voice behind her says in a matter-of-fact tone, making Laura squeak and take a few steps back as she turns to the source of the voice, only to face a beautiful tall blonde wearing a black formal jacket over a white blouse, a blue jeans as a bottom and silver heels for her footwear.

“Excuse me, just because I’m short doesn’t mean I’m a child!” Laura dismisses the fact that this blonde is beautiful, too busy to defend herself against the blonde’s estimation of her. Not that the other person minded her as she grins at Laura.

“Sorry, it was an impression.” She waves a hand dismissively while giving Laura a look that told her she didn’t mean it, although she still had that grin on her face.

“Anyways, you must be the bodyguard we’ve been waiting for?” The blonde gestures at Laura as a whole due to the outfit the taupe officer is wearing. It made her look professional and much like a security guard to wear a suit (of course she’s wearing pants, it’s hard to run in pencil skirt) even though she has an innocent baby face that makes her look like child (her co-officers has been telling her that, just as the blonde in front of her thought too).

“That’s sadly me. And sorry for the lateness, I got lost and the ride up was really long.” Laura says, looking around the place and shaking her head. She’ll definitely get lost here no matter how great her sense of direction is so she opted to follow the blonde when she started walking forward, a part of Laura some knew that the blonde would show her to where the boss’s room is, with or without her asking the blonde.

“I know. They really should have opted in keep this building less big.” The blonde smiles sympathetically to the shorter woman in a sense that Laura thinks she may have also a fair share of moments she got lost in this floor.

“And while I’d want to say _‘don’t worry’_ , I honestly can’t say that…” The taller of the two hums thoughtfully before shaking her head as if what she thought is a definite no.

“So—the big boss is _that_ bad?”

“You can say it like that?” The blonde questioningly replied with a nod before she rolls an eye as she continues to speak about her boss—about Carmilla, “Infuriating and stressful but brilliantly smart and smug? Definitely bad news though.”

That definitely brings dreadful feelings to Laura, or rather, returns them thrice.

If she thought seeing Carmilla again was bad earlier, it definitely increased in intensity now that she’s here and— _oh hell_ —she’s in front of a large black mahogany door.

Since when did they get here so fast? She didn’t even notice they were already here!

Before Laura could even say anything to address her awe and horror, the blonde turns around to face her and smiles apologetically. And _crap_ , she thinks she’s standing in front of the devil’s door with the way this woman is looking at her that way.

“I can’t enter there with you since I have to get back on my secretary work. The boss is kind of strict with work ethic so you’re on your own from here.” She waves a hand at the folder she’s holding in her left arm and now it perfectly clicks into Laura’s mind why she felt that she could follow the blonde.

She’s Carmilla’s secretary. No wonder.

The taupe officer nods and smiles a bit back at the blonde secretary, not like she could do anything to get of this. If only she could have asked Danny if anyone could accompany her, or even Kirsch. Why didn’t she even think of that earlier?

“Its fine, I guess. Thanks for helping me out, umm…?”

“Elizabeth Anne Spielsdorf, just call me Betty seeing as how we’ll be seeing each other more often due to our jobs.” She says in a way that Laura felt they were doomed to work for this person, it makes the young officer laugh a bit when the blonde—in her own way—warmly offers her company to Laura with a grin, proffering for a handshake.

“If you need to rant about the boss, let’s go stealth for that. I sure need a good rant sometimes too.”

“Sure and, I’m Laura Hollis.”

Laura takes her hand in a firm grasp and shakes hands. The look on their eyes said they have become comrades of a sort in this moment. They both grin before they unclasped their grasp on each other’s hands.

“I’ll see you later, good luck in there!” Betty walks back with a parting wave while Laura watches her as she departs and it strikes Laura odd that this is the second person who told her _‘Good luck’_.

Luck, she hope, is with her when she enters to face Carmilla again.

 

* * *

 

When Laura knocks on the door, she didn’t know what to expect other than for Carmilla angrily shouting at her to come in or even a door to suddenly open and be met by a glaring Carmilla. Hell, even being ignored by her is already an option in her mind.

What isn’t an option Laura thought of is when she heard a smooth calm velvety voice telling her to _‘Come in’_ and for whatever bad reason and timing, she felt her body heat spike up all of a sudden at hearing the tone of Carmilla’s familiar voice. A bit older sounding than when they were in high school, but it definitely is her. Laura knows for sure, especially when she hears Carmilla order her again to come close to her desk when she enters.

Laura swallows the lump forming her throat and takes the door knob, twisting it open as she enters and closes it before moving forward, never once taking her sight off the large chair behind a large mahogany desk. The whole room is spacious and flourished in a way that the room felt so like Carmilla, decorated with two couches and two chairs, a small table in between the couches and chairs, a fur rug finishing the center piece of the room.

There were also paintings inside but more of the picturesque sceneries than that of people and popular figures in the hallways earlier. There’s also shelves filled with books on both side as well as vases, plants and other more that Laura would deem this as if this is where Carmilla’s room is. The only thing missing is a bed.

The taupe officer stops just a few feet away from the desk, her wandering gaze stops as well when she hears the chair squeak, making Laura quickly look back up at Carmilla in hopes of not getting caught staring around, but it’s too late. The brunette saw her already—if the telltale smirk on her face is something Laura should use as indicator.

Carmilla doesn’t call her out for that, but Laura doesn’t know whether she should be thankful or not.

There’s no way in telling what the brunette is thinking of, at least she isn’t required to answer back because she’s at this point frozen to her position and in no way averting at the figure of the woman (the girl in her high school days that made her life a nightmare) look so _sinful_ and _heavenly_ at the same time.

In her usual trademark of all black, Carmilla’s sporting her usual see-through blouse, a lacy bra covering her chest and her usual tight leather pants and Laura is certain that her trademark anchor necklace and punk-rock bracelets are her favourite accessories because they are still there even after all the years has passed since high school. To top it off, her hair is in its messy curly state, gorgeously framing her face and never had Laura seen anyone look so painfully beautiful as Carmilla looked at this moment.

“You’re quite late, you shouldn’t make people wait.” She says in that annoying matter-of-fact tone of hers that makes Laura remember and has become familiar with in her high school days. Scoffing at her would have been what Laura would have done and has done before whenever Carmilla talks to her in that manner, but now she can’t do that.

“Haven’t they taught you not to make people wait? Or have you forgotten your manners?” Carmilla continues on, her voice teasing and taunting as she stands up from her comfortable luxurious chair, which Laura thinks is worth more than her apartment could ever be, to walk to the corner of her desk, a hand on the rich wood of her desk as she traces a finger on the surface walking slowly, heels clicking to the floor.

Carmilla is her charge and she’s just a bodyguard, she definitely has no say in getting angry at her if she wants to keep her job intact and not get sent back to Danny to earn an earful, so Laura tries to keep her expression as neutral as possible, which is bordering near exhausting and impossible because she’s an expressive person and holding a poker face is something she has yet to master.

She’s doomed, Laura’s sure of her state already.

She’s definitely doomed, and she can’t do anything about it as the president and CEO of Silas Enterprise continues to walk around her desk, inching nearer and nearer to the center of the desk, only stopping when she’s directly in front of Laura with an intense gaze that makes the shorter woman stare at the floor in deep concentration.

“I’m sorry.” Laura mutters, not trusting herself to vocalize her words loudly around Carmilla right at this moment, not that it ever stopped her from disregarding the taupe officer’s feelings. Carmilla did things at her pace the way she wants likes to—she rolls her eyes at Laura for that.

“At least you have the decency to apologize, though you could do much better if you did look apologetic while saying it…” Carmilla hums, leaning back on her desk, half-standing and half-sitting on it while intently watching her would-be bodyguard with heated curious charcoal black eyes, a certain sparkle swims in her eyes that even if Laura herself saw it, she could never decipher the meaning of.

Laura doesn’t answer her back. She isn’t about to let Carmilla’s taunting get the best of her already short temper and patience and the fact that she’s getting a bit tired and slightly flushed in the presence of the brunette.

The silence hangs down between them and Carmilla just continues to gaze at her before she opens her mouth to speak again, “So, care to introduce yourself to me, cupcake?”

Her voice is still velvety, but more or so expectant with her usual taunting lilt.

Chocolate brown eyes flits up for a second to look directly at Carmilla and their gazes connects and Laura feels something in her chest, warm and achingly irritating, she pushes it off and averts her eyes back to the floor as quickly as she looks up.

“I’m…Laura Hollis, Special Combat and Defence (SCaD) officer, your assigned bodyguard.”

It’s impolite, Laura knows. Her father had always told her when she was a child to look people in the eye when she spoke but she doesn’t care. It’s better than staring at Carmilla when she introduced (more of re-introduced) herself to her charge.

“I know, _cutie_.” Carmilla leans forward when she spoke.

In the process of Laura eyeing the floor intensely, she misses the way Carmilla’s smiles gently at her as if she remembered something fondly before it disappears and is replaced by a smirk.

“I know that you already know me with or without reading through the files your superior gave you beforehand but it’s only polite that I introduce myself too.” The brunette drawls, pushing herself off the desk to strut slowly towards the taupe bodyguard— _her bodyguard_.

Laura’s still the same, Carmilla thinks, the same girl she teased in high school and nothing seems to have changed in her childlike traits and her apparent, obvious, guarded attitude around the brunette—still ever so cautious.

It makes her want to chuckle loudly, but she holds it in.

The sound of heels clicking on the floor resumes, drowning the silence that resumes between the two. Laura still hasn’t looked up but she sees Carmilla’s shadow slowly turn larger until she sees her hot red pumps in front of her vision of sight.

“The names Carmilla, I’m the President and CEO of Silas Enterprise.” Carmilla drawls, amused at the way Laura’s eyes continue to try to avert themselves from looking at her. The only answer she gets is a nod of recognition from the shorter woman.

Whatever are the thoughts going about in this woman’s head? She’ll never know.

On Laura’s part, warning bells were currently ringing, with sirens blaring as well and everything is **red, red, red** , even until she feels soft but cold fingers trace her left cheek before moving under her chin and guiding her head to tilt up and stare directly at Carmilla, who is in fact, looking down at her with that irritating smirk of hers.

It makes her want to wipe it off Carmilla’s lips but all Laura could think at that moment is that she really has entered hell’s door and she’s in for a lot of trouble. And maybe, she should have turned away and backed down when she still had the chance to.

But it’s too late now. She’s caught in a snare and _she’s down, down, down._

_“It’s nice to see you again, cupcake.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before, I was thinking of putting Carmilla as "the bodyguard" but then I didn't feel like it would be that interesting because Laura doesn't like being protected, so I switched the role when I made the prologue. I quite like the idea of Laura as Carmilla's bodyguard to be honest..
> 
> To anyone wondering about the system, or the whole military-police-esqueness that may feel like it's has, I'm not referencing any armed/military/police system because the world of Styria will still maintain it's weird quirks, but no, there's no vampires, everyone's human, I should add that in the tag.


End file.
